Eiring-control mechanism



March 27, 1945. B. P. JOYCE FIRING CONTROL MECHANISM Filed April 20, 1942 4 Sheet-Sheec 1 -m4 dm n B. P. JOYCE FIRING CONTROL MECHANISM 2 March 2?, 1945.

Filed April 20, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 27, 1945. Joyg FIRING CONTROL MECHANISM Filed April 20, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet n mww l I l l I I I I F II March 27, 1245. 5.. P. JOYCE 2372,1327

FIRING; CONTROL MECHANISM 7,

Filed 'April 20, 1942 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Mar. 27, 1945 U'N -LT E11) STATES PArEN-r pm ET EIRING-CONTKQLJMECHANISM;

BryanP. Joyce, East Orange; N1" J1.

, Application-April 20, 1942;,Serial NO-...43;9;7:43;;

Claims. tcl; 8927)I Theinvention -relates-primarily to an ordnance mechanism, having automatic: round-feeding means; automatically" and manually operable firing mechanism, and-a; barrel which recoils and counter-recoils one. cradle; .a'. mechanism of this general type being: disclosed in U. S. Patent '#2,I42;132, issued' to me "oir'J'anuary- 3, 1939, on a Fig; 11 is a side elevationpartly broken away and insectionshowing the gun barrel in battery position. and thefiringzcontrolmeans in readiness for hand-firing;

Fig. 2 is; a View similar to-Fi'g. 1= but showing l the firing controlsmeans; set. for automatic operation and illustrating." the gun barrel during its counter-recoil stroke,

Fig. 3 is at fragmentary view'similar to Figs.

1 and 2 butrshowi'ng the gun barrel back to battery positionwith thepartsin the-positions which they occupy immediately before the final closing movement ofithe breech block.

Fig. 4. is a. horizontal: sectional view substantially on the-irregulanli'ne la--4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is afragmentarytrear elevation.

Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse section substantially on line: li -6; of:Fig;:1

Figs. 7 and. 8 perspective views of the two latches for the:springecnaerated trigger actuator.

Fig. 9-is: aaperspectivetviewof' the trigger actuator.

Preferred featiniesaof construction have been illustrated and: will be rather specifically clescribed, with the. understanding; however, that variationsmay be made-within the scope of the invention. as claimed.

A. portion of the-gun cradle is illustrated at it, its trunnion-s at H, and one of the segments used for elevation and depression, at I2. The gun barrel which is reciprocably" mounted on. the cradle for recoil andcounter-recoil, is illustrated at I3, the posterior-portion" ofzthis gun barrel. be-

grooves-a la'iiimthe-sidezwalls .oifthe; cradlei ID: The gun. barrel: I Glistprovid'ediwith averticallysslidable breeclr-bloclc lit movable iroima raised. closed position: to: a. loweredopena position: in order that empty shell; oasesxmay be ejectedtandirounds sup.- plied. from. a magazine or the like- (notshown). The-breech b-lockr carries; aafiring: pin I?! (Figs; 5-.and-r6)t'with whichra sear lever' l fi' isfassociated in aknownmanner; for: instance, as. shown: in Patent.2 ,142;132;.above mentioned. Atithispoint; it may: also be stated that the breech block is loc-ked -in: its lowered position: 1111 a knownwman-e ner; unti1-'-around hasibeen-forced' entirely into position in the rear end' ofthe gun: barrel: This breech blocklocking means may: virtually duplicate thatshowrr in Fig; 7 oft-heabove mentioned patent.

A- transverse rocle shaft [9 mounted on the gun barrel, is provided with an' arm operable in-a- T-groove'i l (Fig. 6) in the breech block 1-6; for lowering said breech block when said shaft I9 is turnedin one direction; and foragain raising said breech block: when: said shaft is turned in the other direction. For turning the shaft [9 in breech block lowering direction, it is provided withan arm 2-2 coopera-ble with-- acne-way abutment 22- onthe cradle I 0 asseen" in- Fig; 21 During recoil of" theggun-ibarrei; the arm 22 simply clicks past: the abutment 22; but upon counter-recoil, saidarm is swung-by said abutment as seen in-Fi'g; 2; thus turning, the shaft [9 and operatingthe' arm 20 to lower the breech block It. When the breech block is lowered, itis-locked'in lowered ppsitionby. the means above mentioned or; its equivalent (see Fig, 7 of Patent 2,142,132) f The. shaft. l'9f carriesa third arm. 21,31 which, is connected to the front end; oi'achain 24, the. rear endi'oi this chain beingconnected with a,.piston 25slidab1'e in ahorizontal guidecylinder 26 which initiallyturnedbyhandtoplace the-firstround ing provided with lateral ribs i4 slidable in guide in the gun barrelor whensaid shaft is turnedby means of, thecoacting, elements 251111122. upon counter-recoil In. either case; the breech blockis locked down. by the: means above: mentioned the connection between the chain 24 and the piston 25 in the improved gun, preferably includes an adjustment 28.

The cylinder 26 is provided with spaced upstanding longitudinal walls 29 and 30, the front ends of which are integrally joined to each other by a head 3i, the space between the rear ends of these walls being in communication with the rear end of said cylinder 26 by means of a slot 32. The piston 25 is provided with a lug 33 projecting upwardly through this slot into the space between the walls 23 and 38. Slidably guided in this space is an actuator 34 for the usual sear or trigger 35 of the gun, said actuator 34 being in the forward path of the lug 33 to be moved forwardly to cocked position by the forward movement of the piston 25 during breech block lowering or opening. The actuator 34 is cylindrical in the present disclosure and is guided in shallow grooves 36 in the inner sides of the walls 23 and 39, said actuator being provided with two upwardly projecting lugs 37 and 38 respectively. These lugs are cooperable with two pivoted latches 39 and 46 respectively, the front ends of which latches are pivotally mounted on a screw or the like 4| which passes through an upstanding ear 42 on the head 3| at the front end of the cylinder 26, said screw being threaded into a portion of the gun barrel |3 as seen in Fig. 6. The two latches 39 and ar cooperable with the two lugs 31 and 38 of the trigger actuator 34 to hold the latter in its forwardly cocked position, as will be hereinafter more fully explained. Spring-pressed pins 43 are employed to exert a constant downward pressure on the two latches 39 and 49. Due to a manufacturing preference, the pin 43 for the latch 40 is not directly over the center of this latch, as seen in Figs. 4 and 5, and in order to prevent said pin from striking the latch 39, this latch is notched as seen at 44 in Figs. 4 and 8.

An operating spring for the trigger actuator 34, is shown at 45, the rear end of said spring being disposed against a portion of said actuator while the front end of said spring contacts with an abutment 46 which is slidable in the grooves 35 above described, said abutment 46 being forwardly slidable against a fixed stop 41 within the head 3| when the piston lug 33 forces the trigger actuator 34 forwardly to theextreme upon breech block opening. A rod 48 is secured to the abutment 46 and extends rearwardly through the spring 45, said rod passing slidably through the actuator 34 and through the lug 33 of the piston 25. The rear end of this rod 48 is provided with a second abutment 49 cooperable with the lug 33, said abutment 49 being preferably in the form of a nut which may be adjusted as required and then looked. The rear portion of the front abutment 46 is provided with a cam 50, which cam is cooperabl with a cam lug 5| projecting downwardly from the latch 33, each time the abutment 46 moves rearwardly from the stop 41. This rearward movement of abutment 46 is effected by the lug 33 of the piston 25 striking the abutment 49 of the rod 48 and pulling this rod rearwardly, and

this rearward pull does not occur until the breech block is practically closed. (See Fig. 3.). When the abutment 46 is moved rearwardly under lug 5|, this lug releases the latch 39 from the lug 31 of the trigger actuator 34, thus releasing this trigger actuator to operate the trigger 35 unless the latch 46 be then in lowered position. It will thus be seen that upon final breech block closing, the trigger actuator 34 will be freed and will operate the trigger 35 unless operation of said actuator be then prevented by the latch 40. If this latter be the case, latch 40 will prevent firing of the gun until released by hand, by means hereinafter described. In this connection, attention may be invited to Fig. 1 in which the breech block is entirely closed, abutment 46 has released latch 39, and latch 40 is still holding the lug 38 of the trigger actuator 34 so that the gun cannot be fired until 40 is released by hand. Whenever the actuator 34 is released from its cocked position, it strikes the trigger 35 when it moves rearwardly, swinging this trigger as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and finally coming to rest against the lug 33 of the piston 25, in readiness to again be moved forwardly to cocked position when said piston 25 is moved forwardly upon breech block opening.

The pivoted front end of the latch 46 is provided with a forwardly inclined releasing arm 52 which is instrumental in releasing said latch 40 (from the Fig. 1 position) when the gun is to be fired by hand, and is also instrumental in holding said latch 46 against engagement with lug 38 of trigger actuator 34 when the parts are set for automatic operation and the gun barrel returned to battery. V

A releasing device for releasing the latch 40 by cooperation with its releasing arm 52, is shown in the form of a slide 53 mounted on the cradle l0 and having a cam 54 for coaction with said releasing arm 52. When the slide 53 occupies the forward idle position shown in Fig. 1, it is out of contact with arm 52 but is in readiness to depress said arm 52 when said slide is pulled rearwardly by hand, .thus effecting hand firing of the gun. To produce single-shot operation, the slide 53 must be pulled rearwardly and promptly returned forwardly. If the slide 53 be pulled to the rearward position of Figs. 2 and 3, and locked in this position, it will first effect handefiring of the first charge and will then be set for automatic gun operation. In this connection, consider Fig. 2 in which the gun is moving forwardly on its counter-recoil stroke, with the arm 52 of the latch 49 moving toward the rearwardly locked slide 53. As the gun reaches battery. position, arm 52 strikes the cam 54 of the slide 53, thus moving said latch 40 to the released position shown in Fig. 3, leaving the trigger actuator 34 latched in cocked position only by means of the latch 39. It will be recalled that the breech block I 6 is not yet entirely closed. When its final closing movement occurs, the concurrent final rearward movement of the piston 25 jerks rearwardly on the rod 48, thus causing the cam 50 of the abutment 46 on the front end of said rod to engage th lug 5| of latch 39, releasing this latch from the actuator 34 and permitting the latter to move rearwardly under the stress of its operating spring 45, causing one of the lugs of said actuator to strike the trigger 35 and fire the gun. This firing it will be seen, will occur automatically upon final breech block closing. Whenever the parts return to battery position, however, if slide 53 then occupy its forward position (Fig. 1), even though the latch 39 will be released upon final breech block closing, latch 4.0 will. hold the actuator 34 in cocked position until saidlatch isv released, by manually movingthev slide 53 rearwardly. It will, there.- fore, be seen that the; gun may either be operated by hand or set for automatic operation.

The slide 53' in the present, disclosure is mountedinv a suitable guide 55 secured by screws or the like 56' to the inside. .of the cradle ID. A rod 51 is secured to this slide. and extends rear- Wardly from it, the rear portion of saidrod passing slidably through an appropriate guide. 58 secured. to the cradle. A compression. spring 59 surrounds the rod in frontv of the guide 58 and bears againstthe collar-60 on said rod to normally force this. rod and the slide 53 forwardly tothe idle position of Fig. 1. A lateral handle (ii on the rear end of the rod 53 serves as meansto pull said rod rearwardly to the latch-releasing position of Figs. 2 and 3, and said handleacts also as part of th means for locking said slide 53 in said latchreleasing position. In the present showing, the handle 5! is provided with a hub 62 rotatable upon the rod 5'7 and abutting the front side of an abutment 53 on said rod, said abutment being preferably in the form of an adjustable nut. The handle Ei'l passes outwardly throughv a slot 64 in thecradle l and through an arched slot 65 in a plate 66 secured against the outer side of the cradle. With the slide 53 in its forward idle position (Fig. 1)-, the handle SI is in the front leg of the slot. 65. When the gun is to be fired by hand, the handle 6! is swung upwardly and pulled rearwardly, thus causing slide 53 to coact with the releasing'arm 52 of the latch 40 to release the latter. A single shot may be fired by pulling the handle 6! rearwardly and releasing it. If slide 53 is to be locked in its rearward position (Figs. 2 and 3), for automatic gun operation, this may be done by swinging the handle 6| downwardly into the rear leg of the arched. slot 65. A safety finger 6'! is preferably employed on a wall of the slot 65 to prevent the handle 6| from jarring out of the rear leg of said slot (see Fig. 2).

Operation Reference is first made to Fig. 1 showing the various parts in battery position in readinessfor hand firing of the gun. It will be observed that the trigger actuator 34 is held in cocked position by the latch 40, even though the latch 39' is being held-in released position by the abutment 45 and cam lug 5|. To fire the gun by hand, the'handl'e 6 lis swung upwardly and pulled rearwardly, thus pulling rod 51 and slide 53 rearwardly and causing the cam 54 of said slide to depress the operating arm 52 of the latch 40, thus disengaging this latch from the actuator 34 and permitting the spring 45 to force said actuator to the right as seen'in dotted lines in Fig. 1, thereby actuating the trigger 35 to fire the gun. If the handle 6 I be promptly returned to the front end of the arched slot 65, after firing, the first shot, the parts will occupy the positions shown in Fig. 1 after recoil and counter-recoil of thebarrel l3 occur, the gun being thenin readiness to be fired a second time by hand. In Fig. 2, however, it has been assumed that the parts while standing as in Fig. 1, were brought into operation by pulling the handle 6| rearwardly and shifting it downwardly intothe rear end or leg of the slot 65, thereby not only pulling the slide 53 rearwardly to fire the first round, but looking said slide 53 in its rear position. It has been also assumed in Fig. 2 that the first round has'caused' recoil of the gun barrel- I3 on the cradle l0 and that counter-recoilof said barrelv is now occurring. -Duri-ngthis. counterrecoil, it will be seen that arm 22 on. shaft, 19

strikes the one-way abutment 22, causing such turning, of the. shaft H] as to open the breech block IB- for shell case ejection and reloading. This turning of shaftv l 9 caused arm 23 and chain 24 to pull piston 25 forwardly. The forward movement of this piston has caused the lug 33 to slide the trigger actuator 34- forwardly until the lugs 31 and 38 have clicked under andpassed beyond the bills of the latches 39 and 3:0. This forward movementv of the actuator 34 has caused compression ofthe; spring 45 and has caused this spring to thrust against the abutment 48 and move this abutment and the-rod 481 forwardly into contact with the stop 41'. The lug 33, it will be observed has slid forwardly on rod 48 after this rod. was. arrested by the stop 41. The breech block [6 remainsl'ocked in its depressed position by the conventional'means shown for instance in Fig.7 of Patent 2,142,132until the gun is reloaded, whereupon said locking means is released and spring 21: expands to efiect breech block closing. As the gun barrel l3 continues to move forwardly from the position of Fig. 2, the releasing arm 52 of the latch will strike the cam 54 of the slide 53 as will be clear fromFig. 3, causing movement of said latch to released position. As the breech block is permitted to close and piston 25 moves. rearwardly, the actuator 34 also moves rearwardly to the limit allowed by the latch 39, this latch. serving to'hold said actuator 34 in the cocked position of Fig. 3 until the final closing movement of" the breech block occurs. This final breech block closing movement and the concurrent final, rearward movement of the piston 25 cause the lug 33 of the latter to jerk rearwardly upon the rod 48, thus causing the cam 53 of the abutment 46. on said rod to engage the cam lug 5| of the latch 39, with the result that this latch is released, freeing the triggeractuator 34 which is then operated by the spring 45 to operate the gun-firing trigger 35.

If desired, with the parts standing as in Fig. 3, the shaft l9 may be turned by hand with the use of a suitable wrench and the first round may be placed in the gun by hand. When the breech block closes, the cam will release the latch 39 and the gunwill immediately fire. If the slide 53' beset as in Fig. 1, however, when performing the operation just mentioned for hand loading, the latch- 45 will prevent firingupon breech block closing, until the slide 53 is pulled rearwardly by means of the handle 6|.

From the foregoing taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that novel and advantageous provision has been made for carrying out the desired end, and while preferred details have been disclosed, attention is again invited to the possibility of making variations within thescope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. In an ordnance mechanism, a cradle, a recoiling and counter-recoiling gun barrel mounted on said cradle, a breech'flolock and a firing trigger carried by said barrel, automatic operating means'for opening and closing said breech block including a forwardly and rearwardly movable member mounted on said barrel, said member being movable forwardly during breech block opening and movable rearwardly during breech block closing, a spring-operatedactuator for said trigger, means mounting said actuator on said barrel for forward movement to cocked position and rearward' movement to trigger-operating position, said trigger actuator being in the for ward path of said forwardly and rearwardly movable member to be moved forwardly to cocked position by the forward movement of this member as the breech block opens, two latches mounted on said barrel for engagement with said trigger actuator to latch the same in said cocked position, latch-releasing means connected with said forwardly and rearwardly movable member and actuated by the final rearward movement of this member upon breech block closing for automatically releasing only one of said latches from the cocked trigger actuator, a releasing device for the other latch, said releasing device being mounted on said cradle for movement from an idle position to a latch-releasing position, and gunner-controlled means on said cradle for shifting said latch-releasing device to either of said positions, said other latch having a releasing portion located to move forwardly against said latch-releasing device to automatically move said other latch to its released position upon each counter-recoil stroke of said barrel as long as said latch-releasing device remains held in said latch-releasing position, whereby for automatic gun operation said latch-releasing device may be held in said latch-- releasing position to prohibit said other latch from holding said trigger actuator in said cocked position upon freeing of said trigger actuator by the release of said one latch, and for singleshot gun operation said latch-releasing device may remain in said idle position to allow said other latch to hold said trigger actuator in said cocked position after release of said one latch until said other latch is released by manual movement of said latch-releasing device to said latch-releasing position.

2. man ordnance mechanism, a cradle, a gun barrel mounted on said cradle for recoil and counter-recoil, a breech block and a firing trigger carried by said barrel, operating means for opening and closing said breech block including a forwardly and rearwardly movable member carried by said reciprocatory barrel and movable forwardly during breech block opening and rearwardly during breech block closing, an actuator for said trigger, means mounting said actuator on said reciprocatory barrel for forward movement to cocked position, movement to trigger-operating position, said trigger actuator being in the forward path of said forwardly and rearwardly movable member to be moved to cocked position by the forward movement of this member, a latch mounted on i said reciprocatory barrel and engageable with said trigger actuator for holding said trigger actuator in cocked position, means operatively connected with said forwardly and rearwardly movable member for releasing said latch, during the final rearward movement of said member, and an operating spring carried by said barrel and engaging said trigger actuator to operate the same, said latch-releasing means having a portion for operatively stressing said actuatoroperating spring as said forwardly and rearwardly movable member moves re'arwardly.

3. In a gun, a barrel, a breech block and a firing trigger carried by said barrel, operating means for opening and closing said breech block including a forwardly and rearwardly movable member mounted on said barrel, said member being movable forwardly during breech block opening and movable rearwardly during breech block closing, an actuator for said trigger, means and rearward mounting said actuator on said barrel for forward movement to cocked position and rearward movement to trigger-operating position, said trigger actuator being in the forward path of said forwardly and rearwardly movable member to be moved forwardly to cocked position by the forward movement of this member, a slidable rod extending longitudinally of said barrel and passing slidably through said trigger actuator, an abutment secured to said rod in advance of said trigger actuator, an operating spring for said trigger actuator, said spring being confined between said abutment and said trigger actuator, means on said barrel for limiting the forward movement of said rod, means slidably connecting said rod :with said forwardly and rearwardly movable member and effective to move said rod and abutment rearwardly as said member moves rearwardly, a latch mounted on said barrel and engageable with said trigger actuator to hold the latter in cocked position, and means on said rod for releasing said latch during the final rearward movement of said rod.

4:. In a gun, a barrel, a breech block and a firing trigger carried by said barrel, operating means for opening and closing said breech block including a forwardly and rearwardly movable member mounted on said barrel, said member being movable forwardly during breech block opening and movable rearwardly during breech block closing, an actuator for said trigger, means mounting said actuator on said barrel for forward movement to cocked position and rearward movement to trigger-operating position, said trigger actuator being in the forward path of said forwardly and rearwardly movable member to be moved forwardly to cocked position by the forward movement of this member, a slidable rod extending longitudinally of said barrel and passing slidably through said trigger actuator, an abutment secured to said rod in advance of said trigger actuator, an operating spring for said trigger actuator, said spring being confined between said abutment and said trigger actuator, means on said barrel for limiting the forward movement of said rod, means slidably connecting said rod with said forwardly and rearwardly movable member and eifective to move said rod and abutment rearwardly as said member moves rearwardly, and a latch mounted on said barrel and engageable with said trigger actuator for holding the latter in cocked position.

5. In a gun, a barrel, a breech block and a firing trigger carried by said barrel, operating means for opening and closing said breech block including a forwardly and rearwardly movable member movable forwardly during breech block opening and movable rearwardly during breech block closing, said member being mounted at one side of the breech portion of said barrel, a rod extending longitudinally of said barrel and having its rear end passed slidably through the upper portion of said member, an actuator for said trigger slidably surrounding said rod in front of said upper portion of said member to be pushed forwardly to cocked position thereby, a front abutment secured to the front end of said rod, an operating spring for said trigger actuator, said spring surrounding said rod and being confined between said front abutment and said trigger actuator, a rear abutment on said rod behind said upper portion of said member to cause rearward movement of said member to rearwardly pull said rod and said front abutment, an elongated guide in which said actuator and said front abutment are slidably received, said guide being secured to said vertical side of said breech portion of said barrel, and a latch on said breech portion of said barrel and engageable with said trigger actuator to latch the same in cocked position.

6. A structure as specified in claim together with coacting means on said latch and said front abutment for releasing said latch when the final rearward movement of said front abutment occurs.

7. In an ordnance mechanism, a cradle, a barrel reciprocable on said cradle, a breech block and a firing trigger carried by said reciprocatory barrel, means for opening and closing said breech block, a spring-operated actuator for said trigger also carried by said reciprocatory barrel, one latch carried by said reciprocatory barrel and engageable with said trigger actuator for holding said actuator in cocked position, automatic releasing means for said latch operatively connected with said latch and breech block and ef fective to release said latch upon breech block closing, a second latch carried by said reciprocatory barrel and engageable with said barrel-carried actuator to hold said actuator in cocked position after release of said one latch if singleshot gun operation is desired, a releasing device for said second latch carried by said cradle for movement from an idle position to a latch-releasing position, and hand-operated means on said cradle for moving said releasing device to said latch-releasing position to fire the gun by hand if desired, said second barrel-carried latch having a releasing portion movable rearwardly away from said cradle-carried releasing device during recoil of said reciprocatory barrel, and movable forwardly against said cradle-carried releasing device during counter-recoil whenever said releasing device is held in said latch-releasing position to move said second gun-carried latch to released position and prevent it from engaging said barrel-carried actuator, whereby said second latch cannot interfere with automatic gun opera tion but makes single-shot operation possible.

8. In an ordnance mechanism, a cradle, a barrel reciprocable on said cradle, a breech block and a sear-releasing trigger carried by said barrel, a spring-operated actuator for said searreleasing trigger also carried by said barrel, a substantially horizontal latch pivoted at one end to said barrel, said pivoted latch having a bill at ing the latter to effect hand firing of the gun, whereby upon each counter-recoil stroke of said barrel on said cradle said releasing arm will strike said cam and swing said latch to its released position as long as said slide is held in its rearward position, preventing said latch from engaging said actuator.

9. In an ordnance mechanism, a cradle, a gun barrel reciprocable on said cradle, a searreleasing trigger carried by said reciprocatory barrel, a spring-operated actuator for said trigger also carried by said reciprocatory barrel, a latch carried by said reciprocatory barrel and engageable with said trigger actuator for holding said trigger actuator in cocked position, a releasing device carried by said cradle for releasing said latch, said releasing device being movable from an idle position to a latch-releasing position, and hand-operated means on said cradle for moving said releasing device to latch-releasing position, said latch having a releasing portion movable rearwardly away from said latch-releasing device during each recoil stroke of said barrel, and movable forwardly against said latchreleasing device during counter-recoil whenever said releasing device is held in said latch-releasing position.

10. In a gun, a barrel, a breech block and a firing trigger carried by said barrel, operating means for opening and closing said breech block including a forwardly and rearwardly movable member mounted on said barrel, said member being movable forwardly during breech block opening and movable rearwardly during breech block closing, an actuator for said trigger, means mounting said actuator on said barrel for forward movement to cocked position and rearward movement to trigger-operating position, said trigger actuator being in the forward path of said forwardly and rearwardly movable member to be moved forwardly to cocked position by the forward movement of this member, an abutmentcarrying member mounted on said barrel and movable longitudinally thereof with respect to said trigger actuator, an abutment connected to said abutment-carrying member in advance of said trigger actuator, an operating spring for said trigger actuator, said spring being confined between said abutment and said trigger actuator, means on said barrel for limiting the forward movement of said abutment, coacting means on the aforesaid forwardly and rearwardly movable member and said abutment-carrying member for moving the latter and its abutment rearwardly as said forwardly and rearwardly movable member moves rearwardly, a latch mounted on said barrel and engageable with said trigger actuator for holding said trigger actuator in its forward cocked position, and coacting means on said abutmentcarrying member and latch for releasing said latch during the final rearward movement of said abutment-carrying member.

BRYAN P. JOYCE. 

